Westminster Week
Posted by Kitty Ussher, MP for Burnley, at 10:04, Mon 16 July 2007:
Dear Friend,
I was back in the constituency last Friday I started the day with a visit to the new Unity College in Towneley Park. It was actually the first time I had been there and I was impressed with the positive atmosphere and the facilities they have to enable young people to nurture their talents particularly in the creative arts. The head boy and girl gave me a tour round the building and I then spent a while talking with some of their prefects who asked me questions about how life in parliament works as well as discussing some of the local issues that they were concerned with, most notably when they were going to get their new school. On that I was able to let them know that the planning enquiry for the proposed new site on the other side of the park near Brunshaw primary will take place in the middle of August. If it goes through then the new school remains on track to open in autumn of 2009. If it doesn’t then Lancashire County Council will need to think again.
After that it was off to a very different school, namely Ridgewood special school at the edge of Burnley in Stoneyholme. Again it was my first visit and I was very pleased to be there. The school’s catchment area is wider than Burnley itself and it caters for secondary-age pupils with the full range of special needs, from purely physical to quite severe learning disabilities. The management team and staff there need to be congratulated for having made a success out of the coming together of three existing schools and I could sense a feeling of excitement and optimism about their plans to move into specialist purpose-built accommodation on the new Sir John Thursby site in due course.
The thing that impressed me was the flexibility of the support that was on offer. At one end of the scale, the school held sessions for children in mainstream education who needed a bit more specialised support. Others were full-time at Ridgewood but who joined mainstream schools for particular subjects that they were interested in. At the other end, the school offers more high-level care and education for those young people who will probably always need quite a high level of care throughout their lives. I took part in a maths class, an art lesson and an aromatherapy massage session, as well as sampling some of their delicious school dinners.
From there it was back to the office for a serious of meetings with my team and others before heading to the town hall for my monthly catch-up session with the council’s chief executive. After that it was off to Padiham for my regular surgery and then off further afield to Hazel Blears’ constituency of Salford to speak at one of their fundraising dinners.
On Saturday I held another surgery in Burnley town centre and then joined the march in solidarity for Nadeem Khan who died at Burnley police station just the week before. It was a deeply moving occasion and I was very glad to be able to be there. The matter is rightly in the hands of the Independent Police Complaints Commission who immediately launched an investigation into what happened. I spoke to them on Friday and they confirmed that they hope to publish their report in a matter of weeks or a small number of months so that people don’t have to wait too long for the answers. In the meantime there is a real feeling of grief in parts of our town, across cultural divides, and I just wanted to express my solidarity and condolences to all those affected.
I then spent Sunday with my family before embarking on week two of my ministerial career at the Treasury down in London. It’s a fascinating experience and it just becomes more so as I get the hang of it. This week I’m off to Brussels to negotiate on behalf of the UK on the European Union annual budget. But it'll be back to Burnley at the weekend.
With all good wishes,
Kitty Ussher MP
6 ways to contact Kitty Ussher MP
Write to: House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA or 2 Victoria Street, Burnley BB11 1DD Phone: 01282 450840 Fax: 01282 839623 By e-mail: ussherk@parliament.uk On the web: www.kittyussher.com In person: Next surgeries are Friday 27th July 4.30pm – 6.30pm Cliviger Village Hall, Burnley Road, Cliviger; Saturday 28th July 10am - 12noon Open Hands Centre, Colne Road (corner of Hebrew Street). No appointment necessary.
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